Keeping it Real

Keeping It Real(Reason Number 8.)

There are many ways to keep a long term friendship; one of them is keeping it real. With a real friend, you don't have to always put up a front, act a certain way, or hide your own feelings and desires. A real friend is going to accept you, the positive and the negative, all of your quirks, and still care about you. There shouldn't be a need to always have the better story, be the subject of all the conversations, or the center of attention. You should also be real about their feelings and needs as well.

Really listening to them is another way to keep it real with them. If they ask a question or need your advice about something, be honest with them. If it is something that may be hurtful, try to put it in a way that is not going to make the situation worse. Keeping it real with them means that you should try as much as you possibly can not to lie to them, and tell them the whole story.

Keeping it real with a long term friendship means that there are no expectations, limitations, or obligations in the relationship, and responsibilities are share equally, as well as the rewards. It's not about who is better, both of you are as equally positive, in your own way. It means that when you have a conflict with your friend, that you talk about it without being judgmental, or putting them down. This also goes the other way as well.

If you have a friend who is always bragging about themselves, or needs to always have a better story than you do, they are really not taking your opinions into consideration are they? Someone that is always putting up an act, or can't just relax around you, can you really expect to get a straight answer if you really need their advice or opinions?